Entropy: the amount of energy in a system no longer available to perform mechanical work. Entropy always increases or remains constant. Depression, rage, anxiety, self-doubt, chaos. The agents of entropy that nullify energy in the human system. The human condition is to fight entropy.

This machine portrays man undergoing a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction, battling and losing to entropy.

The Entropic Man had a great run. Many, many thanks to everyone who helped make the show possible. Stay tuned for the next installation and performance…

For information about the work and the artist, view the press release below

—————————————————————————————————————————

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Entropic Man– a mechanical installation by Aaron GemanSaturday, January 29th, 2011 with a live performance at 7 pmAn epic-scale, mechanized self-portrait that undergoes a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction

Bay area inventor and artist Aaron Geman is unveiling his latest and largest machine, a mechanized self-portrait that fills a 15,000 square foot warehouse in San Francisco’s Bayview District. The piece is made up of hundreds of ropes and pulleys that repeatedly destroy and recreate the artist’s figure. About the work, Geman says, “the portrait illustrates the cyclical struggle of a man that is losing himself in search of his goals.”

Aaron Geman is a resident artist at ABCO Artspace in Oakland, California. Originally from Rhode Island, his lifelong dream of being an inventor led him west to present a mechanical puzzle prototype to Google at their headquarters in Silicon Valley. Along the way, Geman presented work at various roadside locations, Tech Museums, and nerd corporations such as DEKA (inventors of the Segway) before discovering the world of kinetic sculpture. As Geman states, his goal is “to explore art as a realm of invention unfettered by the practical limitations of the real world.”

For the opening reception, the western doom duo Ghost Town, comprised of Scott Greenwalt on drums/vocals and David Morris on guitar/bass, will accompany the piece with a live performance. Their dark, sparse instrumentals wax and wane, synchronizing with the self-portrait’s process of destruction and recombination.

The piece will be open to the public Saturday evenings and by appointment. The next show is Saturday, January 29th at 7 pm (show starts at 8 pm) and entry is free. The warehouse space is located at 6025 3rd St at Fitzgerald Ave in San Francisco. Please refrain from wearing white.